This article previously stated that Erdenechuluun Ganbaatar had given a written comment to pley.gg. That is not the case, the written comment was given by Ganbaatar Erdene, managing director at MESA. We apologize for the error and any confusion it may have caused.
Multiple sources tell Pley.gg they have not been paid for work at Mongolian Esports Association (MESA) events. Based on confirmations from teams and talent, Pley.gg has verified more than $200,000 in outstanding payments across multiple tournaments.
Talent payments remain unsettled
A member of the broadcast team at Nomadic Masters Spring 2025, who asked to remain anonymous, said they are still owed several thousand dollars. “They keep giving us dates that they’ll pay by and nothing ever comes through,” the person told Pley.gg.
Pley.gg has seen the messages with MESA, including exchanges with management that referenced sponsorship installment delays and stated that the payment source was now clear. The dates for payout were revised several times, then moved again.
Australian commentator Jordan “Elfishguy” Mays shared a similar story. He casted the MESA Asian Masters qualifier for PGL Bucharest in March and says he has still not been paid. His invoice was due 30 days after the event, leaving him with a four figure sum still outstanding. While he has been in contact with MESA in recent months, he says the money has yet to arrive.
Mays added that this is not the first time he has waited on payment from MESA. At Nomadic Masters Spring 2024, he recalls waiting at least six months before finally receiving what he was owed.
Teams confirm prize pool delays
The Nomadic Masters Spring 2025 was promoted with a $250,000 prize pool. More than four months after the tournament concluded, representatives from three of the top four teams, HEROIC, BIG and Chinggis Warriors, confirmed to Pley.gg that they have not received their prize money.
MESA’s own rulebook states: “All prize money should ideally be paid out ninety (90) days after the MESA event in question has been completed, but it may take as long as one hundred eighty (180) days for the payment to be completed.”
While that clause gives MESA up to 180 days, repeated changes to payment dates for both talent and teams raise questions about why prize funds were not secured before the tournament took place.
Other than the prize pool not being paid, the event itself was also a chaotic one, with significant delays and technical problems. As reported by Pley.gg, one semifinal did not start for more than three hours, after repeated PC swaps, peripheral issues, glare from glass walls distracting players, and audio or video problems inside the arena.
MESA response
In a written response to Pley.gg, MESA’s Ganbaatar Erdene rejected the idea that the organization has been avoiding teams or talent, saying that prize money will be paid within the agreed timeframe.
Ganbaatar said the 90 to 180 day payment window is in line with ESL, and that teams received the rulebook before the event. Public policies from other organizers set shorter prize payout timelines: BLAST states 30 days once paperwork is complete, and PGL has publicly committed to paying within two weeks of an event’s conclusion.
He said prize funds for Nomadic Masters Spring were secured, but that the Mongolian government’s July 1 ban on betting sites disrupted sponsorship installments, which in turn delayed payouts.
“We are working to pay as soon as possible. It is not like we are ghosting talents and teams, we are communicating weekly. Of course some of them want to be paid quickly and run out of patience, and we are aware of that,” Ganbaatar said.
He added, “Regarding date moving, i told you we are having some sponsorship installment delays and that’s why it keeps changed. However, the payment source is clear now and we are working on pay Nomadic Masters payments as soon as possible.”
He said that only talent payments from Nomadic Masters Spring 2025 remain unsettled, while “all other events are settled.” This statement contradicts what Jordan “Elfishguy” Mays told Pley.gg and what he has publicly said on X. As of September 12, 2025, Mays confirmed that he had still not been paid.
Pley.gg will update this article if payments are confirmed or new documentation is provided.
